20,000 Users Banned from Facebook Every Day?

Lessons every Business should know about using Facebook

Facebook bans 20,000 users a day—and it’s not just kids violating the site’s age policy (you have to be at least 13 to post a profile).

Facebook’s rules are changing all the time. And businesses that purposefully or inadvertently misuse Facebook could be banned.

YIKES!

It takes knowledge and experience to work the delicate balance of being fun and engaging to your fans while remaining within the parameters of fair use on Facebook.

Did You Know?

Below are some common things you see on Facebook, but it turns out they’re against Facebook’s terms of use:

Collecting Visitor Information without Telling Them

Some businesses use their Facebook page as a way to gather information about fans so that they can better target ads, messages, etc. Only problem with this: it’s against the rules. You are not allowed to collect data on your page visitors without telling them what you are collecting and how their information will be used.

Third Party Advertisements

Some businesses think that they can make a buck off selling advertisements that they’ll share with their followers. That’s a no-no.

Administering a Contest through Facebook

You see it all the time: “Post your picture on our wall and whoever gets the most likes by [specific date] will win a great prize!” Seems harmless, but Facebook tells businesses that they can’t use Facebook functionality or features to run a contest. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t run a contest on your Facebook page, you just need to create an app through which you administer your contest. Oh yeah. And if you think it’s okay to at least announce the winner of your contest on Facebook, think again. This seemingly harmless action is—yup, you guessed it—against the rules.

Of course, the above list is just a sampling of things to be aware of when managing your business’ Facebook page and is by no means comprehensive. Setting up a business page on Facebook is a great idea and can really help you establish lasting relationships that build loyalty and brand awareness. Just make sure you understand the rules so you don’t accidentally find yourself page-less and, dare we say, friendless.